The West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a sharp attack on BJP-ruled governments in states and at the Centre over the alleged ‘push back’ of migrant workers from Bengal to Bangladesh, accusing the administrations of labelling those individuals as Bangladeshis only because they speak in Bengali, reports The Telegraph online.
‘Aren’t you ashamed? Even though they have identity proofs like Aadhaar cards and PAN cards — everything — just because they speak Bengali, they are being labelled as Bangladeshis and sent to Bangladesh, wherever the double-engine government is in power in India,’ Mamata said on the floor of the Assembly, targeting BJP MLAs.
‘Is speaking Bengali a crime? You (BJP) should be ashamed that by doing this, you’re making everyone who speaks Bengali appear to be Bangladeshi,’ she added.
Mamata’s remarks came after at least five migrant workers — detained earlier this month by police in Maharashtra and Delhi on suspicion of being Bangladeshis — had been handed over to the BSF, which allegedly pushed them to the neighbouring country without verifying their citizenship status with the Bengal government.
The Mamata government first learned of Mehebub Sheikh, a migrant worker from Murshidabad’s Bhagawangola, being ‘pushed back’ to Bangladesh by the BSF on Saturday.
Subsequently, four more similar complaints reached the state government, prompting it to contact the BSF and demand the repatriation of the affected individuals.
On Sunday, three of the five workers — Minarul Sheikh and Nizamuddin Sheikh from Murshidabad, and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh from East Burdwan’s Manteswar — were repatriated following a flag meeting between the BSF and the BGB. They were taken to the Mekhliganj police station in Cooch Behar, where the police on Monday morning arranged for their transport home to Murshidabad and East Burdwan.
‘Despite showing our identity proofs, the BSF beat us and forced us to walk into Bangladeshi territory. There, the Border Guard Bangladesh personnel nabbed us. We were afraid we would end up in a Bangladeshi jail, but fortunately, we were able to return home,’ said Minarul, before beginning his journey back to Murshidabad.
Sandip Garai, the additional superintendent of police of Mathabhanga, said they had become aware of the trio the day before.
On Monday, two more migrant workers, including Mehebub Sheikh of Bhagabangola, returned home with the assistance of state police.
A source said another migrant worker from Murshidabad’s Hariharpara, Shamim Khan, was also pushed to Bangladesh, along with Mehebub.
Officials from the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board suspect that more Bengali-speaking migrant workers were sent to Bangladesh by the BSF.
